July Principal Update
Summer is an important time for educators to rest and recharge, especially for those of us fortunate enough to match wits with 700+ middle school students across ten months of the year. For me, it is important to spend some time working in the yard, alone, where the peonies are always respectful, the pachysandra is consistently even-keeled no matter the weather, and the hostas form orderly well-behaved groups. I do have to admit, however, that there are times that the ferns don't stay where I tell them. That said, as we move through July, I find added pressure to get out and enjoy a short trip, celebration, or other activity during these days of extended light, so I begin to check my calendar for some tried and true events.
Bean and Bacon days? Cancelled. Roswell UFO Days? Nope. Next week's Sports Clich
é
Week? I guess without sports, there are no sports cliché
s, but come on, can't we still Zoom and talk about it? Hemingway Look Alike Days? Scratched. The Great Texas Mosquito Days? Another victim of the pandemic. Quilt Odyssey Week? Are you kidding? Cancelled?!?
I guess that's what happens in a pandemic. We all cancel events, modify our normal life activities, and change our ways of doing things for our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of family, friends, and complete strangers. It's the right thing to do. So I shrink my world and interweave days of work in my garden with days working at Hamilton in preparation for a safe beginning to the 2020-2021 school year. At the time of this writing, the school district, like most, had yet to decide on the format of schooling come September. In preparation for the unknown, I am working with Hamilton staff members to build in systems of safety for our eventual return to the hallways and classrooms of our building. This work includes efforts to schedule smaller groups of students in any given classroom in order to maintain appropriate distancing, figuring out an alternative plan for using the cafeteria, designating outdoor play and educational spaces, redesigning hallway transition plans, etc. etc. We are not sure what September will bring, but I want you to know that we are working hard to develop plans that help to provide a safe environment for students and staff members. Please take a look below for some additional information on our eventual return to school.
So, as July moves along I am just taking things one game at a time. As we head down the stretch of summer, I will step up to the plate, bring my A game, and keep my eye on the ball. I'll be a team player, do my best to not drop the ball or pull any punches, and as needed, take one for the team. I'll do the little things like wearing a mask because, hey, defense wins championships.
